I can understand it because of what I have come to associate with the word,
despite being one myself. When I go searching for vegan recipes or vegan
cookbooks or vegan social gatherings, I encounter a lot of angry people. Even
though they are not angry at me, I often find it off-putting. I meet a lot of
younger, "punk rock" vegans who have gotten so swept up in the anger that it
would be easy to forget that veganism is a peaceful lifestyle.

I see a lot of cursing among vegan people. I'm used to hearing curse words
but I don't enjoy them and some groups of vegan people swear like sailors.

I see a lot of non-animal politics tied to veganism, some of which I disagree
with. I see a lot of pressure for people to accept that "vegan" means a whole
political and religious package, not just abstaining from animal products.

And speaking of religion, I've encountered a lot of heavily anti-Christian
attitudes in many vegan social circles. I've seen some very hurtful things said
about Christians that make me want to go away and make up my own recipes rather
than trying to learn from a group of people who hate what I love.

So there can be a lot of "baggage" tied to the word vegan that I see less of
tied to the word vegetarian. When the baggage is enough to make another vegan
feel uncomfortable, I can only imagine how a meat-eater must feel when they
first encounter vegans.

I don't mean by this post to insult other vegans here or elsewhere. When I
speak of what I see in vegan social circles and vegan communities, of course I
am not saying that *everyone* acts that way. But I have encountered enough
people saying and doing these things very loudly and prominently to feel put
off. With the exception of the Christian vegans here, I no longer socialize with
vegan groups because I so often feel uncomfortable and unwanted because I
can't/won't fit the political/religious/social mold.